Condenser.



C. V. KEER.

CONDENSER.

APPLICATION man ocT. 23, 1913.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

C. V. KERR.

CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23, i913.

Patented Nov. 9,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CHARLES voLNEY KEER, or WELLSVILLE, NEW YORK.4

CONDENSER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

Application led October 23, 1913. Serial No. 796,747.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES V. KERR, a citizen of the United States,residing at VVellsVille, in the county of Allegany and State of NewYork, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Condensers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to condensers of the surface type and isparticularly adapted to be used in connection with steam turbine plants.

The objects of my invention are, rst, to construct and arrange the partsof the condenser so that the steam is evenly distributed throughout thevertical steam tubes with the least resistance to its ow therebydecreasing the back pressure and materially increasing the vacuumproduced in the condensing chamber; second, to arrange the tubescarrying the exhaust steam with respect to the inlet and outlet of thewater of the condenser so that short tubes may be employed and each tubeacts independent of any other tube; third, to arrange the condensingtubes in such a manner with respect to the inlet and outlet of theexhaust steam and their` relation with the inlet and outlet of thewater, so that the steam with a minimum resistance sweeps both thecondensed steam and entrained air ahead of it in each tube, into thehot-well situated below the tubes;

fourth, to construct and arrange the parts of the condenser, so that thetubes may be of minimum length without destroying the efciency andcapacity of the condenser; fifth, to construct and arrange the elementsof the condenser so that the adoption of short vertical ltubes, enablesthe use of thin tube sheets into which the ends of each tube are readilyexpanded thus avoiding the cost and labor, and repair of two stuffingboxes for each tube used; sixth, to construct and Aarrange the tubesheets with respect to the casing of the condenser so that the tubesheets with the ends of the tubes secured thereto are capable ofbreathing with the expansion of the attached tubes; seventh, toconstruct and arrange the parts of the lcondenser so that any air whichmay have a tendency to collect in the upper section of the water chamberof the condenser will be quickly removed vby the discharge of the water;eighth, to arrange the tubes with relation to the tube sheets, waterinlet and outi taken apart,

appear from ,inner let, and hot-well, so that any leakageat the jointsof the tubes and sheets may be readily detected by the flow of waterinto or discharge from the hot-well; ninth, to so construct and arrangethe parts as to make a condenser which is compact, of low first cost, ofa high and constant `eiiciency, and in which all the parts are easilyassembled or quickly inspected or repaired, and kept clean ofincrustation; tenth, other objects and advantages of construction willthe detailed description to be hereinafter given in connection with thepreferred form,.shown in the drawings.

My invention consists of structural Vfeatures and relative arrangementsof the elements comprising the invention, which will be hereinafter morefully described and partlcularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings in which similar reference characters indicate the sameparts in the several figures: Figure l is a longitudinal central sectionof the condenser on line I-I of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionalview on line lI-II of Fig. 1 with the lower baiie plate removed; Fig. 3is an enlarged fragmentary and sectional view Aof one of the condensertubes, tube sheets and baile plates; and Fig. 4: is an enlarged top planview of the upper tube sheet with the tubes attached.

Referring to the drawings 1 isv the con# denser casing having open endsand provided with a lower cooling water inlet 2 and an upper wateroutlet or discharge 3. Said casing may be provided with the usual handholes 4 and 5, for the purpose of inspecting the condition, terior ofthe condenser. Attached to the anges of the top and bottom openings ofthe casing 1 are thin tube sheets 6 and 7,

repairing or cleaning the inthrough which are passed and secured aseries o short brass tubes 8, 8, tinned on their and outer sides andarranged in a staggered relation, as shown in Fig. 2.

The tubes 8, 8, are preferably secured to the sheets 6 and 7, byexpanding the ends of the tubes adjacent the sheets, thereby avoidingthe expense of providing stuing boxes or other packing means at eachend. The upper ends ofthe tubes a8, 8, are also vbeaded to reduce theresistance and make this entrance of the steam easier into said tu es.

9, 9, are bafiie plates preferably of the same material as the tubes 8,8, and tube sheets 6 and 7, and drilled with holes larger than thetubes, for the purpose of not only permitting any sediment to easilypass down and olf of the plates through the clearance between the tubeSand plates to the bottom of the casing 1, but at the same time allow thetubes to expand longitudinally. Said plates 9, 9, may -be held andsupported in the position shown in the casing 1 and between the sheets 6and 7, by' any suitable means, and thereby cause the water to make threepasses across the tubes 8, 8, before passing out through the discharge3, and as the tubes are vertical and the water has an eddying flowacross them, said tubes are 4constantly cleaned of all matter having atendency to adhere to them. It will also be readily seen that owing tothe large section of the conn denser shell or casing 1, the velocity ofthe water across and through the condenser is low, about two feet persecond, and the water isconstantly being mixed up by the staggeredrelation of the tubes, whereby a uniform rise of temperature is securedwith the most effective maximum cooling effect produced from the waterused.

Attached to the upper end and over the opening of the ycasing 1 is a cap10 having an exhaust inlet or opening 11. Secured to the bottom of andsupporting the casing 1 and arranged below the outlet of the tubes 8, 8,is a hot-well 12, which is provided with an upper annular air receivingchamber 13 below the lower ends of the tubes 8, 8, said chamber 13,having an opening 14 connected with any suitable form of vacuum pump orpreferably with a barometric pump, as shown for example in my co-pendingapplication filed Oct. 29, 1913, Serial Number 797 ,960. At the bottomof the hot-well is an opening 15 for the discharge of the conn densedsteam which is connected to any suitable type of centrifugal or pistonpump for feeding steam boilers.

16, 16 are supports for the condenser which engage 'the underside of aange formed on the hot-well casing 12 by the annular chamber 13.

To provide for the expansion and con traction of the tubes 8, 8, whichhave their ends expanded into the holes of and rigidly connected withthe tube sheets 6 and 7, and to permit each of the said tube sheets tobreathe or slightly rise and fall., due to said expansion andcontraction. of the tube, I have slightly out away at 17, as shown, ltheinner edges of the meeting flanges of the top and bottom of the casing1, bottom of the cap 10 and top of the hot-well 12, whereby is formedthe V- hape annular clearance space which permits the outer section ofsaid sheets to have a slight movement up or down from the horizontal andthereby relieve said tube sheets 6 and 7 and tube con nections, wouldhave a tendency to start the joints between the sheets and tubes toleak, and permit the cooling water to enter into the tubes 8, 8, anddestroy the efiiciency of the condenser.

The operation ofthe invention is as follows: vWater from the circulatingpump being admitted into the lower water inlet 2, it passes at first incontact with and around the lower section of the tubes 8, 8, and owingto the staggered 4relation of the tubes is thoroughly mixed and agitatedto insure a uniform cooling effect.v The water', due to the arrangementof the baffle plates 9, 9, takes a sinuous course upwardly and makes inthe present form, as shown, three passes across the tubes 8, 8, beforesaid water passes out through the upper discharge opening 3. Any airwhich may collect at the upper section of the water chamber or casing 1,and below the plate 6, is entrained by the heated discharging water, andcarried out of the outlet 3 to the pump, not shown. The steam enteringat the top through inlet 11 passes into the top of the tubes 8, 8, andis condensed into a thin lm of moisture therein by the cooling watersurrounding the outside of said tubes, and as said steam is condensed onthe inside of the tubes 8, 8, the incoming steam sweeps both thecondensed steam or film of water, and the air, ahead of it to the lowerends of each of the tubes from which said water and air are dischargedinto the hot-well 12 below the tubes, said a-ir collecting in thechamber 13, and the water passing out through the opening 15 to a feedpump, not shown. The air collecting at the top ofthe hot-well 12 .in thechamber 13 is continuously drawn out through the openingl 14 by an air`pump,not shown.

From the -oregoing arrangement it will be seen that each condensing tubeacts independent of any other, and the condensed steam with the airliberated therefrom are brought in contact with and stored in proximityto the coolest water in the condenser, which assures and makes itpracticable to maintain a vacuum approaching that due to the coolingwater temperature. Discharg ing the water at the top brings the warmestwater in contact with the section of the tubes iirst receiving theincoming steam and this water is in the best position for entraining theair which may' collect on the upper sections of the tubes 8, 8, andwater space or casing 1 and under the upper tube sheet 6.

As will be seen from the foregoing description of the operation of theapparatus, all the objects recited in the statement of invention arefully and eiiiciently carried out and a compact condenser is producedwhich is capable not only of condensing the maximum amount of steam witha minimum of any distorting strains, which,I

use of water, but at the sametime approaching nearer the vacuum due totemperature of cooling water used.

What I claim is 1. A surface condenser comprising a casing having aninlet for steam in the top thereof, vertical steam tubes arranged withinthe casing, a lower inlet and an upper outlet for the cooling water inthe casing, baffle plates within the casing for ,directing the flow ofcooling water back and forth across or substantially at right angles tothe steam tubes, a hot well at the bottom of the casing communicatingwith the tubes and having an outlet for condensed steam at the bottom,and an air chamber at the upper end adjacent to the lower end of thetubes, and

an air pump connection in the hot well adjacent to and below the steamtubes.

2. A surface condenser comprising a cas-V ing having upper and'loweropen ends and provided with a lower water inlet and an upper water'.-outlet, tube sheets closing the upper and lower open ends, separatedbaiiie plates between the tube sheets extending partly across the casingalternately from opposite sides, vertical steam tubes pass- 111g throughthe tube sheets and baille plates i tubes, said hot well also having acondensed steam outlet at its lower end and being secured to the lowerend of the communicating with the steam tubes.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES VOLNEY KERR. Witnesses:

VoLNEY A. KERK, ELIZABETH A. KERR.

sheets, a cap casing and

